Great thread. This pattern is a staple in my spider boxes. I have actually been tying some of these up the last couple weeks. I haven't had ash thread for years so use grey silk or dun Griffith's 16/0 and wax it with a dark cobbler's wax. Also, I have found blue eared pheasant or pheasant tail dyed dun as perfectly good subs for the heron. This one is with the Griffith's and dye pheasant tail.

Just ignore the flies for a while and compare the barbs on these hooks. The 'whisker barb' on the Kamasan/Daiichi hook is pretty, pretty small and pretty easy to mash down. Some old hooks are horrifying but beautiful.

Some brilliant examples of a serious classic. This fly is just so compelling with the subtle shade shifts.

John, I'm not sure where you found that pic but thanks for posting it. My favorite threads are the ones where we pile on several takes of a specific fly for compare and contrast. This is certainly a great example.

"A man should not try to eliminate his complexes, but rather come into accord with them. They are ultimately what directs his conduct in the world." Sigmund Freud.www.WilliamsFavorite.com